Let Me Down Slowly
by Phannie's Angel
Summary: Managing PTSD and a pair of rambunctious twins alone isn't easy, but Marinette does her best. And really, what more can anyone ask of her?


_"Are you ready for this, LB?"_

_Alya sat at the end of Marinette's hospital bed, her phone in hand, recording, and her eyes teary behind her glasses. Marinette was silent, staring down at her hands folded in her lap, avoiding the gaze of her best friend. She quietly shook her head, but clenched her fists in her lap and looked up again. _

_"I have to be."_

**XoX**

Ladybug flew through the air, landing on a rooftop and skidding to a stop just before the edge. She propped a leg up on the ledge at the edge of the building and crossed her arms, resting them on her elevated knee. She stifled a yawn as she quietly observed the akuma below, watching as the girl stalked down the street, glaring at any who passed her and flicking flames into the air.

"Morning, m'lady!"

The raven-haired heroine glanced up and sent a small smile toward her companion, who sat beside her on the ledge, grinning roguishly. "Hey, Chat," she said quietly, flicking a hand in an imitation of a wave. "Good to see you."

Chat Noir frowned, scooting a bit closer to her. "You okay, bugaboo?"

Ladybug ignored the question, keeping her eye on the akumatized victim below, who'd yet to cause a major disturbance. "What are we working with?"

Chat Noir sent her a suspicious look, but didn't press the issue. "Name's Valoria. She can manipulate fire. That's all I know."

"Great. Let's go."

**XoX**

_"Good morning, Paris," Marinette began. Her hospital gown had turned red, her extensive bandages black, even the ones on her face. Her mask was in place, her hair falling around her face and casting shadows over her eyes. She looked terrified. Broken. _

_"You already know who I am. My name is Ladybug, and until today, I was one of the defenders of Paris."_

**XoX**

The battle was heated, the villain strong and quick. It wasn't long until Ladybug was worn out, stumbling every time she landed on the ground.

**XoX**

_"In our last battle against Valoria, I was injured very badly. I won't reveal my full condition to you all, but know this-"_

**XoX**

One of the buildings on the side of the street suddenly blew, the force blasting the super duo backward.

**XoX**

_"Were it not for Chat Noir, I would not have survived."_

**XoX**

A horrible, stabbing pain shot through Ladybug's stomach and she groaned, curling in on herself until it dulled to a continuous throb, when she forced herself to her feet again, moving to join Chat Noir.

**XoX**

_"As it is, I will not be physically healed and able for at least a year, likely more."_

**XoX**

The fight resumed, more furiously than before, and Ladybug found herself on the wrong side of a hit more than once as they battled.

**XoX**

_"I will have to completely relearn how to walk, and the use of my arm may never be up to what it used to be."_

**XoX**

"Chat Noir! The necklace!"

"Cataclysm!"

**XoX**

_"I may never fully recover from the mental trauma related to this fight, and that fact pains me deeply."_

**XoX**

The necklace hit the floor, not yet destroyed, and Ladybug leaped after it, snatching it up from the cobblestone street and gripping it with both hands, ready to destroy it.

"Look out!"

**XoX**

_"Because of this, I can no longer be your hero."_

**XoX**

Ladybug turned too late, her eyes widening as a column of flame hit her straight on and threw her back into a building, the brick wall crumbling around her as she slammed right through it. She remained conscious just long enough to feel the pain of the heavy debris crashing down on top of her, the heat of the flames biting at her flesh, and then her world went dark.

**XoX**

_"Don't worry, I'll be back. When I am able, I will return. Whether it takes two years or ten, I will always be your Ladybug."_

**XoX**

When she woke again, she was surrounded by the blinding white of a hospital room. A monitor was beeping beside her, and her entire body ached and burned, her skin itching from the bandages she could feel covering her. A quick glance around showed Alya sleeping in a chair beside her and a pile of cards and chocolate boxes on the table next to the bed. She shifted her right arm, hoping to reach for one of them, see who it was from, only to cry out in pain. Alya jerked awake and rushed forward, settling her down and whispering assurances.

**XoX**

_"I love you, Paris. You are my city. You've always been my city. Nothing will ever change that fact."_

**XoX**

Only once she'd calmed down did Alya explain the situation to her. Chat Noir had defeated the akumatized villain and captured the akuma in his bell, pulling Ladybug from the rubble before anything else. That corner of the city was still in ruins, but the young girl who had been akumatized was doing just fine. The city's people, however, were worried about their favorite heroine. Thanks to the news outlets, they had seen clips of her going down and Chat Noir pulling her out of the building, but nobody seemed to know whether she was alive or not. Chat Noir had given the unconscious Ladybug to Alya, whom he knew was aware of her secret identity, and then left to recover himself. He was still checking in with her nightly to see how his lady was doing. Alya took Marinette's hand before she carried on, explaining her condition to her. She had suffered third-degree burns over the majority of her left side, luckily the right had been spared from too much damage, but when the rubble had collapsed on her it had shattered her legs and hips, and broken a good few of her ribs as well.

But it was during their examinations that the doctors had made the discovery that she was pregnant.

**XoX**

_"I ask you all to put your trust in Chat Noir. He can defend you. He'll keep you safe. He's the hero you need."_

**XoX**

Over the next few days, Marinette made enough improvements that she was eventually allowed more visitors than Alya and her parents - who had been surprisingly supportive in the news of her impending motherhood. Nino was there first, bringing along another large box of chocolates and a bag filled with more get well cards from her friends at school. The girls came by the next day, though none of them could stay very long, and surprisingly, a week into her stay, Chloe appeared at her door, stammering and teary, her hair hanging limp around her face and her mascara leaving trails down her cheeks.

**XoX**

_"You don't need to fear the akumas. I'm leaving behind a method for him to purify them, but he can't repair damage caused by the attacks."_

**XoX**

It was Chloe by her side through her recovery process, making sure that Marinette's hospital bills were covered and her treatment only the best. Alya and Nino remained with her as much as they could, and Alya took a poorly-written letter of explanation to Chat Noir for her, but Marinette found more support in the blonde's blunt remarks than she ever could in Alya's pitying glances and false assurances, and Nino's averted gaze and quiet tones. Because Chloe, whatever she'd done in the past, proved to be what Marinette needed in that moment. As soon as she'd found out about Marinette's pregnancy and Adrien's betrayal, she'd declared herself their aunt and made sure her family was cut off completely from the Agrestes, despite Marinette's pleas to the contrary.

It was Chloe who was beside her when her bandages were taken off, the full extent of the scarring revealed for the first time. It was Chloe who bought dozens of beauty products and spent hours in Marinette's room with her, learning how to cover the scars so she could live a normal life. It was Chloe who held her as she cried, informing her in no uncertain tone that she was still worth it, still beautiful, still Marinette. It was Chloe who suffered through the long, slow walks through the hospital halls through the months in the hospital while Marinette re-acquainted herself with the use of her legs. Chloe who made sure she didn't fall behind on schoolwork. Chloe who made sure she still had at least one friend to turn to.

**XoX**

_"That, I'm afraid, will have to be up to you all. We need you to rise up and be the people we know you can be. Take care of our city. For me."_

**XoX**

By the time Marinette got out of the hospital four months later, she was visibly pregnant and still in pain, though it wasn't nearly as bad as before. It took two days to pack up and leave Paris behind for good, moving in with her aunt and uncle in the small village of Eguisheim. She was greeted with open arms and excitedly shown to her room, where two small bassinets were already set up beside the large bed. Chloe tagged along to help her unpack and get settled, and then set off for Paris again with the promise to visit again soon.

**XoX**

_"When Alya releases this video on the Ladyblog, I'll already be gone. I hope to recover swiftly, but I can't promise anything. I don't want to give you all false hope."_

**XoX**

The twins were along faster than anyone was expecting, and soon their little house was filled with the cries of infants and the rush of a new mother learning to cope. Chloe began to visit more often, taking the babies so Marinette could get her well-deserved rest, and checking up on her to make sure she was happy and content. The twins were spoiled well before they turned one, with more rompers and outfits than they could possibly use, and an aunt who routinely sent them gifts just for the sake of it.

No one who looked at them could doubt they were Adrien Agreste's children.

Little Abella Adette, with her silky black hair and bright blue eyes, certainly looked strikingly similar to her mother, but her complexion was distinctly Agreste, and her pout and babydoll eyes could never be mistaken for hers.

Brunelle Adrien, however, was the spitting image of his father. Honey blonde hair and emerald green eyes, and a smile that lit up whatever room he was in. He was far more reserved than his sister, but he was just as easily able to capture the hearts of everyone he met.

Of one thing Marinette was sure.

She would lay down her life to keep her babies happy and safe. If that meant they would never have a father, then so be it.

**XoX**

_"I'm so sorry, Paris. I love you all. Until next time."_

**XoX**

Maybe one day she would go back. Maybe one day she would be brave enough to face Adrien. Today was not that day.

**XoX**

_"Bug out."_


End file.
